With 20+ knots and gale force gusts predicted, crews and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda’s race management team will have their work cut out for this week’s Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup – the pinnacle event in the International Maxi Association’s Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge.
Racing is due to get underway for the 43 boat fleet at 1200 on Monday 9 September and will run until Saturday 14 September with a layday scheduled for Thursday. But given Monday’s forecast, showing 25-30 knots gusting to 40+, racing seems unlikely.
“It is looking windy,” confirmed Simon Fisher, navigator on Galateia. “There is a front coming through tonight and a Mistral tomorrow and Tuesday. Wednesday, we should be into sailing conditions, but it's windy at the end of the week too…”
Many grand prix maxi yachts here have been optimised for inshore racing, with no reefs, so that, like most inshore classes, they struggle in 25+ knots. Meanwhile another constraint here are the potential dangers of entering Porto Cervo harbour in a westerly gale.
Inclement weather aside, the competition this week is formidable across all six classes. For the first time Maxi 1 (IRC TCC 1.700-2.200; LH <30.50m/100ft) will be competing for their own World Championship – the exclusive rights to which are granted to the IMA by World Sailing. Ten boats will be fighting for the IMA Maxi 1 World Championship, including five 100 footers: the familiar trio of former Wallycentos - Karel Komarek's V, Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones' Magic Carpet Cubed and the defending champion here, Galateia, campaigned by joint owners - David M Leuschen and Chris Flowers and with a strong Irish crew onboard. They will be up against the more offshore-optimised Leopard 3 of Joost Schuijff and SHK Scallywag of Seng Huang Lee, the highest-rated in Maxi 1.
“World Championships are just a wonderful thing to be a part of,” states V’s tactician Ken Read. “It adds a different set of pressures and expectations in an event. The level of preparation has ramped up for all these boats.”
